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"The more we push past fear, the more rich and fascinating the world becomes" is such a great line that can apply to more than just Spiders and the natural world. Great quote, definitely going to remember that from now on. ❤
@@digitaldazzle5836Are you being sarcastic? There is no need to be homophobic or transphobic. Fearing people based off of your own assumptions without even bothering to fact check yourself is wrong. The same goes for insects. Of course, some people are still going to be scared and that’s fine.
@@baffledsquirrel2122 All spiders are venomous except Uloboridae. Most species have venom too weak to affect humans. On top of that, they are very docile. Even the highly venomous ones like widows and recluses are gentle who never bite unless pressed against skin.
Wow! It didn't occur to me that golden garden spiders are actually great at curing arachnophobia! It's so cool that you had this help cure your arachnophobia, a great first spider :)
As kids I used to see these spiders everywhere but now as an adult I rarely see them anymore. We'd catch em and feed them. When they bounce their webs they can be intimidating but I found they're pretty friendly overall for their size.
When I was a young boy, I used to handle Lactrodectus brown widow spider when I was a kid. I used to handle them without fear. I tried to handle a certain spider. I think it was a sac spider. That spider then bit my finger, and I felt a mild venom getting into me. I immediately dropped it on the ground. From that moment, I began to be afraid of spiders and made sure that I didn't handle spiders even today. I fear spiders even today. I hate the thought that they could bite me.
I moved into a new house back in 1986 and I couldn't find any of the yellow garden spiders for several months. My mosquito problem was TERRIBLE. The orb weavers spiders will remove their webs every day and build a fresh one. During the spring, I saw a few yellow garden spiders where I worked, so I made plans to capture some and transport them to my house. Five years later and I still had a huge population of them around the house. Every day, the webs would be FURRY with dead mosquitos! My mosquito problem also was reduced to about nothing over a couple of years, so the spiders really did their job!
As a kid, I always thought that these garden spiders were very cool. My dad said that they were good for the garden, & to leave them alone, like you explained. Thanks for the memories.
It’s funny to hear that a spider that was pretty instrumental in myself fearing them, had the opposite effect on someone. Your jumping spider videos helped me overcome that and now I’m more open to handling them if not still a little squeamish, but to hear the way you talk about taking the time to understand them and how they operate to further your passion for exploring things like nature, animals and insects alike, it’s incredibly inspiring and I’m always appreciative to see the new creature you want to show off. Much love to you and your future adventures❤️
Jumping spiders in no way kreep me out but almost every other spider does. I have sat with a jumping spider on my arm several times and had full on conversations, and they sat their intently maintained eye contact and listend the whole while. You can tell by that look in their eyes they are pretty damn smart. They have done tests on them and found out they are able to use forewars thinking and are great problem solvers.
I haven't handled any spider other than jumping spiders, the garden spider & the golden orb Weaver are the spiders that broke my arachnophobia. Such amazing creatures with personalities all their own Blessings fam 🫀
Loved this video. I free-handled my first yellow garden spider on July 4th, just two days ago. It was a MASSIVE female. I was so nervous, but after watching you and Jack free-handle so many other spiders, I knew I really had nothing to be afraid of. She was docile, tame, and completely comfortable in my hands. Once I had her in my hands, I didn't want to put her down. Like you, handling her cured me of being afraid to free-handle most spiders!
I also had arachnophobia, until I joined a spider group on FB. I finally started educating myself and realized how cool and misunderstood they are! I always have my spider catching cup handy instead of a flyswatter for when they wander in the house. I've only held a few tiny ones though 😅
Wait until you get a giant huntsman in your house 😂. Kidding, glad you're over it. I've had a tarantula for 17 years. She's actually about 26 years old.
@@jessd423 The females live a lot longer than the males. Mexican firelegs are known to live over 50 years. I'm in Texas the huntsmen here are small but the wolf spiders are huge. I had a brown recluse in my place recently and decided to dispatch it unfortunately. I work in tight spaces filled with spiders and brown recluses still make me nervous.
@@wayofthekodiak3118oh wow I didn't realize that about tarantulas! That's amazing. Yikes. Yeah I don't know how I would feel if I were near a brown recluse. We definitely have them here in Montana but I've never seen one fortunately. No huntsmen here either. Just bears 😂
It's been amazing watching Spencer move through his process of working with Spiders. It's a treat to see an Orb Weaver, I haven't seen any this year in Texas, the weather is just to hot and too dry, I hope to see them in the Fall when we get some more rain. They really are beautiful and beneficial creatures. 🕸
Yeah they’ve gotten a lot rarer. Fortunately where I’m at we’re actually having a really good orb weaver year! Hopefully they rebound over by you too. Also stay tuned, gonna be sending an email, shirts are gonna be heading out soon!
I know it's late but I did see this exact spider with the zig zag pattern last Saturday behind a bush 😅. It's amazing how easy their webs appear and disappear
@@jaredpatterson1701 I just found a large Orb Weaver recently as well here in Texas, they are beautiful spiders and a blessing if you have them around your home or garden. There webs are absolutely gorgeous under morning dew. 🕸
i didnt like spiders about a month ago, but I forced myself to watch your videos and it helped me get used to seeing them and even holding some now, thanks for your content and I hope you keep doing what you do!
Hello! I don't have arachnophobia, but I am fascinated by these little guys. I love watching you handle them. Great job with this channel and advocating for these tiny beings we share the world with.
I just want you to know that your videos are absolutely making a difference. I walked out my front door today into a huge orb web with what I later realized was a gorgeous spider in the middle of it. I was less focused on the beauty when it was smack in the center of my face, but because of your videos, i was able to calm down, take a deep breath, and just wait for it to drop down. Thankfully it decided to simply drop a line from the tip of my nose and leave, which was itself a truly unique sensation
Honestly, I've never considered free handling spiders before because they freaked me out. I would actually go out of my way to kill these garden spiders down in south Louisiana. After watching this video, I feel bad for doing that but also kinda want to try to handle it and cure my fear. Your channel has really opened my eyes to the world of spiders and other insects. Thanks man❤️
Glad to be a part of your journey! No need to free handle them, they actually do prefer to be left alone. But if you can respect them as fellow life forms, that’s all I can ask!
What a sweet girl! She was so cooperative (as always, thanks in part to your careful handling). Interestingly enough, this was one of the first spiders that really intrigued me, even back when I was arachnophobic! That zig-zag pattern of silk in their webs was so cool to me, along with those bright colors. Great video!
Argiopes are so ubiquitous in North America that I think a lot of people have histories with them. I grew up calling them banana spiders! Always found them in the gardens, and was always afraid to get too close. But something about their intricate webs certainly was captivating even when I was afraid too
@MyWildBackyard It's cool that you're able to handle them so easily now, given your old fears. And yeah, they definitely leave an impression on people. I was amazed that a spider/web like that was just hanging out in my neighborhood creek, and dared to get within 3 feet of the web to take a low res picture on my phone 😅
Your passion for nature is refreshing to watch, and I truly appreciate the work you put into making these incredible animals more accessible to those of us who fear them. I find spiders fascinating, but I haven't been able to get over my mental block of interacting with them in any way. When one touches me, my brain instantly switches to a fear response. But I find their lives and contributions to the ecosystem fascinating. Maybe one day I'll have your courage and determinism to power through this fear. For now, I am enjoying your coverage and look forward to exploring your channel!
The other day at work there was a wolf spider than decided to run straight across the floor in front of two of my department managers, who are both arachnophobes. They both freaked out and started silent screaming while backing into the corner of the desk. My coworker was about to stomp on it but I put my hand down in front of the spider, stole it up onto my wrist, and walked out the side door to let it crawl onto a outside railing. The looks I got when I came back in and the "You're f**ing crazy" I got from my department manager is something I won't be forgetting for a while. Thanks Spencer for these videos! Keep up the good work :)
We had one of these in our school garden for weeks, and the kids got used to seeing it every day. It was a great way to talk about how cool it looked and how important it was for our garden. Then one day we had a hurricane come through and it was gone. :( We were sad but I'm glad the children were able to become accustomed to seeing it.
We really enjoyed learning about your experience from arachnophobia to being what we would certainly consider a spider expert! Phenomenal education of everyday species and why we should care. Keep it up, Spencer! Once again, congrats on 100k! Also great call to action! Instant like 👍
I love wolfspiders, orb weaver, and jumping spiders. You've shown me a new world that you shouldn't fear these spiders. I love your videos and I love that I no longer am afraid of them. Thank you.
Another fantastic installment in the curing your arachnophobia series, Argiopes are easily among my favorite North American spiders and they are a really great pick to introduce to someone who is afraid of them. They’re so docile, and the individual you were working with displayed that well. I liked the personal note that you added to this video, hearing more of your story and seeing the progression into the biologist you are now is always inspiring for me. Great work man!
Knew I had to make a special installment for the Argiope. Not kidding when I say my fear melted away after handling one of these, and it was actually watching Chris’s video handling one that I decided to give it a try!
Love your videos, watching you handle these creatures so calmly has inspired me to take the next step in pushing past my own arachnophobia (first step was admiring from a distance for years, second step was educating myself with videos like yours). I will be attempting to free handle my first argiope this summer when they show up in my garden!
I counted 4 of these beautiful spiders in my garden this year. They still make me a little squeamish, but watching you handle them is phenomenal. While walking over to my garden , a grasshopper jumped away from me and right into a garden spider web. That was the most brutal attack I have ever seen a spider do! That spider was on him like flies to honey.. it was crazy! I like to keep my distance after seeing that.. hahaha.
The most important part with interacting with them (aside from don't do it unless you have a good reason) is knowing how to read their disposition, much like how you know not to pet a dog when it's agitated and growling. If they feel safe, they're generally not aggressive animals.
What a majestic animal! Here in Colorado we have some very interesting orb waivers. Also, through your videos, you have completely inspired a six year old girl into the world of arachnids. Thought you should know.
Yup! I’m an arachnophobia. I wrote about it when you were hunting that purple tarantula. I’ve been watching videos like this for years in an attempt to relieve my fear. I’ve gone from fainting at the sight of an arachnid (even at a picture), to being able to admire them at a safe distance. Thank you and all of the other creators who do a wonderful job of showcasing the beauty of these creatures. Y’all have a blessed day!
Always love orb weavers, and the garden spider is always one of the easiest to stumble across. They’re just so cool and elegant looking and their webs have such a fascinating design to them.
Neat video Spencer, I was just filming one of these big girls the other day and it reminded me of how great garden spiders are as an introduction to handling wild spiders (and arthropods in general). I like how you described the experience of handling one and how this species relates to your overall wildlife journey!
Yes, your videos help. Even though my own arachnophobia got smaller year by year, your videos help, at least for me, accellerate that process. I want to try to handle the domestic spiders here, but they are extremly flimsy and quick to catch, so I don't even try to handle them on my hand, but the thought of handling a spider on my hand was a thought I never even considered back when I was a kid. And your videos did and do a great job with that.
@@MyWildBackyard Thank you. Also your Tarantula Videos and your depiction as gentle giants were a great influence on looking at these animals in a complete and different way. I would consider handling one of these gentle giants now on my arm or hand, if someone would ask me to.
I've always seen spiders as akin to feral cats. They live outside, doin their own thing, catchin prey, etc, and when they perceive a threat, they'd always prefer to run rather than fight. I mean, wouldn't you if you were caught by something 10,000 times your size? :p But as @MyWildBackyard said, good for you, seriously. Confronting a deeply held fear like that takes a lot of nerve. I had trypanophobia for a long time (fear of needles) and had to overcome it a couple years back due to me needing to get a *lot* of blood draws. Now I don't have any fear of em at all! Hope you can get there. c:
These spiders have been my favorites for over 30 years! I can’t tell you how many I have handled over the years. Certainly hundreds! I have many videos on my channel of me feeding and holding both black & yellow and banded garden spiders. ❤
I only clicked on this because it said, "...cure your fear...". For some reason I have never been scared of this spider. It's the first time seeing one and she is so fascinating to watch. Thanks for the video!!!
I don't know if I could ever go and pick one of these guys up. Beautiful, but stumbling upon one of them is always a surprise like "Hello! There you are!" That was one difficult thing to get used to, finding out that spooders leave safety lines. Any time I handle my jumpers, I'm thinking, "Well, thank you for wrapping me up in nature's sugar-free version of cotton candy." These guys are very pretty ♥ I always think of them spraying silly string, lol.
I've got to give you credit for single handedly helping me get over my arachnophobia. In a matter of a few months of watching your channel I've gone from acting like a little girl around spiders to going out of my way to interact with them. Keep up the good work and quality content.
Thank you for your calming message. I was unsure if the Yellow Garden Spider was a danger to me or my pets. BTW: I notice the spider "holds onto its web and shakes" to warn me to stay away from it.
Yep. And it's mostly just asking you not to make it rebuild its web. As you can see it's not particularly threatened by a person's presence unless they go out of their way to make themselves a threat. It knows you can stumble into its web like anything else, but it wasn't rated for catching godzilla so kindly notice it's there and go away please lol.
The oscillation on the web is also a defensive maneuver that may keep birds and other such predators so confused as to the spider's actual location that they can't strike at it. Amazing sight to see, in any case. I had a particularly large one on my back porch a few years ago.. She and her web were so stout that she could do waves of nearly 9 inches from one end to the other. No bird would have stood a chance of catching that one!
Please consider going to Volusia County in Daytona Beach, FL. I was there in college back in 1988-1990 and saw a number of large Garden Spiders of this type, much larger than I've seen online in any videos from any source. The largest I saw was the size of my hand (I'm 6'3 barefoot and have Catcher's mitt hands, so roughly a 10 inch leg span). It was in a center of web that was about 22 feet in length. Fascinated and in disbelief, I walked up to it and it was about 2 feet about my head. Scared the shit out of me. It was at the corner of Nova Road and Bellevue Ave. There's a thick grouping of forest that extends toward S Clyde Morris Blvd that had a large number of these spiders. I saw them when I would walk or bike from school to my off-campus housing room. I've always wondered if they are still breeding in that area and if they're still that large. Please go and investigate, if you can. If so, that would be a great video.
Wow man that’s cool, I never was very scared of spiders but my mom was . This is one of the first spiders I handled also. Mainly because I walked through her web and had to get her off my shoulder lol. While we’re on the subject of big orb weavers, my golden silk weavers have started making egg cases and I now am up to 14 ! I need to share some of anyone is interested. Leave a reply and I’ll get up with ya 😊
My brain just started screaming "ORB WEAVER ORB WEAVER" on loop the moment I mentally processed the thumbnail. They're my second favorite spider after huntsman spiders. Huntsman spiders are my favorite because they don't make webs and they're helpfully everywhere in Japan (I plan on moving to Japan). Webs are annoying when indoors.
Man! And here I was so proud of myself for picking up the small jumping spider in the back yard last week. If we had those here in California, nobody would go outside. Ha ha! In all seriousness, your channel really has eliminated my family's arachnophobia.
Not to scare you or anything, but we do have garden spiders like this in California. I think they're technically a different species (green garden spiders) and tend to be a bit smaller, but are otherwise similar. I found a bunch out near a landfill in the Bay Area, and have seen them in fields in northern cali as well! I don't think they are as prolific as yellow garden spiders can be in other states, but if you're determined you can find them!
I’m so glad to hear it man! It does take time, but it really is worth it. And it means a lot to read all the comments and see how people are beating their fears. Thanks for being a part of the whole journey here! Stay tuned for an email, once I finish some of the projects this week I’m gonna be getting ready to send out the shirts!
We definitely do have these exact same ones in California. I never saw them my whole life until recently a new housing community was built on the outskirts of town in the fields and this is in the Sacramento Area. Weird
Always get excited when I come across one of these guys because I don’t see them super often, but they’re so pretty and spin the most beautiful webs, so it’s always a treat to find one. One summer probably 15 years ago, one spun a web from the edge of the bottom of the deck to the deck to the grass, and lived there all summer long. I said hi to it every time I walked past as if it were a pet, and spent a long of time watching it. They’re just so cool.
Love it! As a young kid (about 11 or 12), I used to catch these in baby food jars. The ones I caught had huge, bulbous abdomens though. Never saw any with the "thin" abdomen. Awesome video! Brought back a lot of memories.
What I found so intriguing about this video is that I used the same spider to help me with my acrachniphobia as well. Now I will admit I still don't want to be around spiders willingly, but I no longer freeze, scream, break out in cold sweets, and hyperventilate around them like I used to. But my fear came from a very unique and rare experience, as I was bitten by a very large tarantula at a very young age, in Texas. But, I will admit that this spider has to be one of the most beautiful spiders ever.
I'm so glad this video made it into my recs today. When I saw "spider will cure arachnophobia" I immediately assumed it was another jumping spider video. Boy was I in for a shock! But I'm so glad I stuck around to hear you talk about the garden spider, because it helped me see them as less frightening. Very happy to have stumbled on this video, insta subscribed.
Glad to have you! Jumping spiders are a great place to start if you're working on your fear, but these guys and wolf spiders, once I worked up the nerve to get close to them, basically put the fear to rest forever.
Hi I'm a new subscriber and I been watching your video's. I used to be scared of spiders but your video's changed the way I look at spiders. I now look at them with curiosity then fear. In fact im thinking about getting a tarantula as a pet. Thank you so much my wild back yard😂
This spider is the reason I found your RUclips channel! My family and I moved to North Carolina 2 years ago from the west coast and I’m still getting used to all of the creatures out here. Thank you for making these amazing videos! They somehow look cute when you call them names like sweetheart, buddy and little lady. Lol
Heck yeah, love it! Great content! Spiders are just animals like you and me and they don't deserve all the hate they get. They deserve respect like every other creature does. Without them, think of how many more flies and mosquitoes would be annoying us and biting us all the time!
Thanks to your video, I went out to the forest around my North Carolina home, found a large orb weaver (banana spider in this case) and let her crawl around on my hand. I was not afraid of her thanks to you. It was an amazing experience.
Just found your channel and wanted to share a story. Never really had arachnophobia and we let our house and cellar spiders do their thing. But a few years ago we had a yellow garden spider build a web across our front door. So of course, we posted signs directing visitors to another door and let her be for the whole summer. Make sure her egg case stayed safe over winter, and watched the babies hatch the next spring. I wish we had more of them!
I See The Yellow Garden Spider In My Front & BackYard And Wondered🤔What Kind Of Spider It Was But Never Knew The Name Until Now. I Won't Be "Playing" With It Anytime Soon. Thanks For Posting🙂
I had one of these Garden Spiders living in my outdoor pepper patch in TX and we became 'friends' over a Summer a few years ago. One day after a very windy storm I went out to check my garden for damage and couldn't find her. Later while cleaning the pool I found her floating and dead, probably blown there by a wind gust. It was a sad thing but I was grateful to have had a relationship with this interesting creature and share my home with her for a while.
Not sure how I missed this video. Good thing my phone spied on what I was researching and suggested it. 😂 Thanks for the adventure, Master Spencer. Really iconic spider. Used to find those in webs built across ditches a lot when I was a kid. Loved how they would shake their web. I’m pretty certain that the spider I rescued from inside the local grocery store today was a male Banded Garden Spider(Argiope trifasciata). A very similar but smaller species.
Agriope aurantia Are my favorite and how I got over my arachnophobia too! So much so that I now have tarantulas I love dearly! Thank you for showing their beauty, they are a gentle giant who deserve a lot of love and recognition! 💚
I keep bees in my back-yard, so these spiders are always around. One interesting thing about this spider is that she will shake herself in the web when approached, like a "Danger! Danger!" sign. Incredible creatures, beautiful to see, but I still wouldn't handle one. I don't really have the Desire to handle a spider.
Orb Weavers in general are super cool. Thanks for the idea of starting with one. I can't handle jumping spiders because the sudden movements freak me out.
You’re braver than me bro. Even watching this is genuinely anxiety inducing for me. Just seeing the movements. I am trying so hard to cure my arachnophobia, but it’s hard.
I miss Ziggy my orb weaver. It was amazing watching her a couple summers back. She even devoured a cicada. When she died, I allowed my sister to take her egg sack to her house. The following year we got to watch one of her children repeat the cycle. I've never been a spider fan, but it gave me a greater respect for spiders.
I'm terrified of spiders. Have tried to overcome the fear over the last few years. Am only at the stage of poking a web. Thanks for giving me the confidence to keep working on it!
I always enjoy watching the cautious little tapity- tap movements orb weavers do with their legs when exploring a hand or unfamiliar surface. Since they have poor vision and rely on their web to be their eyes, the spindly legs remind me of blind mobility canes tapping around.
there's some of those in my mother's backyard, this video surely encouraged me to try and get close to them next time i go there!! love these spiders they look so gorgeous
Argiope is my favourite spider genus, finding Argiope bruennichi a few days ago in habitat that I've created was so amazing. Great to see you hit 100K subs, well deserved!
Hey! Good to see you again! Hope you're doing well! So far I've only seen 3 species of Argiope- aurantia, florida and one I couldn't identify in Ecuador that we're pretty sure was an Argiope. So many cool ones around the world though, and such gorgeous arachnids
I grew up all my youth between my granddad’s large farm in western Pennsylvania, my auntie’s farm near Beaminster Dorset, U.K. and another auntie’s small farm just north of Oslo Norway. I was exposed to so many insects, snakes, etc. and bitten or stung by everything which can fly, swim, crawl or hop that I early on lost all fear of spiders, snakes and on and on. Cautious around the more dangerous ones? Obviously. These tiny creatures of the earth are fascinating and beautiful to me though some are better seen from a respectful distance. Each has its place and right to its life in the universe. None are evil the way humans can be. Good for you for working through your fears!
Between your videos and Lucas, I have gone from being deathly afraid of spiders to now studying and sometimes handling them (to relocate from the house) and they are like little puppies.
I found two this year. They are so beautiful! Also, their abdomen design looks like an alien with his hands on his waist. My buddy Bob TheSpiderHunter got me over my fears of handling spiders with shamrocks. Thanks for sharing about these beauties, Spencer!
Bright colors also indicate any toxicity, so either from a bite, or sting, but also from consumption. She's saying "I have venom." but she's also saying "Don't eat me."
I grew up in NC and we had doors to our deck that we rarely used. Each of them would always have an orb weaver. Im still scared kf spiders, but orb weavers have a special place in my heart.
You should do a video on Joro spiders, which folks here in Georgia can't stop freaking out about, and could use a fresh perspective on. Even though they still make me nervous, I love spiders, and have spent years controlling my fear of them, thanks for the fun videos, nice to see someone who appreciates these animals instead of spreading more unnecessary fear. A little fun fact: the best explanation science has to explain the common fear of spiders and snakes, is because the human brain learns by searching for patterns, and because these creatures don't move in an easily recognizable pattern, this causes us to have anxiety about them. I think this is why most people get used to tarantulas before spiders, as their size and slow movements make it easier to recognize a pattern. Something I discovered during my undergraduate thesis.
Workin on getting to Georgia for Joros! Been a big target for a while. And you know, that’s actually really fascinating. I’d love to talk about that in a future video! Can you link me some of the research so I can cite it?
@@MyWildBackyard I will have to dig out my old research and see if I can find it. I was researching how designed spaces affect human emotions (architecture thesis), so It wasn't something I was citing in my own work, but something I stumbled upon and never forgot. I will make sure to report back to you if I find it!
that noise you made talking about your first reaction made me laugh out loud because that's exactly how I feel 😂 I've been watching your videos even though spiders scare the living hell out of me 😭
I have arachnophobia. The only reason why i stumbled into this video was because i saw a picture of this spider, and I was surprised that i didn't have the reaction i have with other spiders. These actually look so cool
Animals are amazing teachers! A dog taught me not to be afraid of them, cats taught me not to be afraid of them and have been a cat owner almost 50 years, and a spider taught me not to be afraid. Used to be scared of carpenter ants because one bit me as a child. But now I realize you leave them alone they’ll go on about their business. I don’t encounter too many live crabs so I still am a little scared of them. Never met a goat but their eyes scare me. But I’ve seen how friendly they are online so I can somewhat ignore their crazy eyes.
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awesome vid my dude
You're the Real life Spiderman
It's hard to imagine you were ever grossed out by spiders. Lol. ✌👍
Would you handle a slug? =)
Jumping spiders: cutest non menacing creature. 10/10 would touch.
This Spawn of hell: I'll jump and scream. Goosebumps maker nightmare fuel creature.
"The more we push past fear, the more rich and fascinating the world becomes" is such a great line that can apply to more than just Spiders and the natural world. Great quote, definitely going to remember that from now on. ❤
That’s right. So no need to be homophobe or transphobic right? As a matter of fact, why fear anything?
@@digitaldazzle5836Are you being sarcastic? There is no need to be homophobic or transphobic. Fearing people based off of your own assumptions without even bothering to fact check yourself is wrong. The same goes for insects. Of course, some people are still going to be scared and that’s fine.
One of the best backyard pets you could have.
Yes!
Now I’m upset …. Pretty sure we and my father killed one thinking it was poisonous
@@baffledsquirrel2122 All spiders are venomous except Uloboridae. Most species have venom too weak to affect humans. On top of that, they are very docile. Even the highly venomous ones like widows and recluses are gentle who never bite unless pressed against skin.
He's the Real life Spiderman
I don't mind them outside 😅
Until you're walking in the woods and not noticing the big web and it's all on your face and you're wondering where did the spider go😮😢
On your head lol
So true that's hilarious. 😂
Wow! It didn't occur to me that golden garden spiders are actually great at curing arachnophobia! It's so cool that you had this help cure your arachnophobia, a great first spider :)
Lots of spiders are great for it, but everyone has that one spider that really shatters the fear. This one was that for me!
As kids I used to see these spiders everywhere but now as an adult I rarely see them anymore. We'd catch em and feed them. When they bounce their webs they can be intimidating but I found they're pretty friendly overall for their size.
Pesticides have been destroying the populations.
When they use their intimidation display, they can be intimidating.
Imagine that.
@@alphastronghold715 1994 10 years old. Imagine that.
When I was a young boy, I used to handle Lactrodectus brown widow spider when I was a kid. I used to handle them without fear. I tried to handle a certain spider. I think it was a sac spider. That spider then bit my finger, and I felt a mild venom getting into me. I immediately dropped it on the ground. From that moment, I began to be afraid of spiders and made sure that I didn't handle spiders even today. I fear spiders even today. I hate the thought that they could bite me.
I moved into a new house back in 1986 and I couldn't find any of the yellow garden spiders for several months. My mosquito problem was TERRIBLE. The orb weavers spiders will remove their webs every day and build a fresh one. During the spring, I saw a few yellow garden spiders where I worked, so I made plans to capture some and transport them to my house. Five years later and I still had a huge population of them around the house. Every day, the webs would be FURRY with dead mosquitos! My mosquito problem also was reduced to about nothing over a couple of years, so the spiders really did their job!
As a kid, I always thought that these garden spiders were very cool. My dad said that they were good for the garden, & to leave them alone, like you explained. Thanks for the memories.
It’s funny to hear that a spider that was pretty instrumental in myself fearing them, had the opposite effect on someone. Your jumping spider videos helped me overcome that and now I’m more open to handling them if not still a little squeamish, but to hear the way you talk about taking the time to understand them and how they operate to further your passion for exploring things like nature, animals and insects alike, it’s incredibly inspiring and I’m always appreciative to see the new creature you want to show off. Much love to you and your future adventures❤️
Jumping spiders are definitely the best starting point. This one was where the fear started to really melt away for me
Jumping spiders in no way kreep me out but almost every other spider does. I have sat with a jumping spider on my arm several times and had full on conversations, and they sat their intently maintained eye contact and listend the whole while. You can tell by that look in their eyes they are pretty damn smart. They have done tests on them and found out they are able to use forewars thinking and are great problem solvers.
I haven't handled any spider other than jumping spiders, the garden spider & the golden orb Weaver are the spiders that broke my arachnophobia. Such amazing creatures with personalities all their own
Blessings fam 🫀
How did it cure your arachnophobia?
I hope I will get there too! Blessings for you aswell!
Loved this video. I free-handled my first yellow garden spider on July 4th, just two days ago. It was a MASSIVE female. I was so nervous, but after watching you and Jack free-handle so many other spiders, I knew I really had nothing to be afraid of. She was docile, tame, and completely comfortable in my hands. Once I had her in my hands, I didn't want to put her down. Like you, handling her cured me of being afraid to free-handle most spiders!
I also had arachnophobia, until I joined a spider group on FB. I finally started educating myself and realized how cool and misunderstood they are! I always have my spider catching cup handy instead of a flyswatter for when they wander in the house. I've only held a few tiny ones though 😅
You are a good person.
Wait until you get a giant huntsman in your house 😂. Kidding, glad you're over it. I've had a tarantula for 17 years. She's actually about 26 years old.
@@wayofthekodiak3118 aw I wish we had huntsman spiders here! Also that's crazy I didn't realize they lived that long! That's amazing
@@jessd423 The females live a lot longer than the males. Mexican firelegs are known to live over 50 years. I'm in Texas the huntsmen here are small but the wolf spiders are huge. I had a brown recluse in my place recently and decided to dispatch it unfortunately. I work in tight spaces filled with spiders and brown recluses still make me nervous.
@@wayofthekodiak3118oh wow I didn't realize that about tarantulas! That's amazing. Yikes. Yeah I don't know how I would feel if I were near a brown recluse. We definitely have them here in Montana but I've never seen one fortunately. No huntsmen here either. Just bears 😂
It's been amazing watching Spencer move through his process of working with Spiders. It's a treat to see an Orb Weaver, I haven't seen any this year in Texas, the weather is just to hot and too dry, I hope to see them in the Fall when we get some more rain. They really are beautiful and beneficial creatures. 🕸
Yeah they’ve gotten a lot rarer. Fortunately where I’m at we’re actually having a really good orb weaver year! Hopefully they rebound over by you too. Also stay tuned, gonna be sending an email, shirts are gonna be heading out soon!
@@MyWildBackyard AWESOME!
I've seen them quite a lot this year in my neck of the woods in Texas, even during the hottest parts of summer.
I know it's late but I did see this exact spider with the zig zag pattern last Saturday behind a bush 😅. It's amazing how easy their webs appear and disappear
@@jaredpatterson1701 I just found a large Orb Weaver recently as well here in Texas, they are beautiful spiders and a blessing if you have them around your home or garden. There webs are absolutely gorgeous under morning dew. 🕸
i didnt like spiders about a month ago, but I forced myself to watch your videos and it helped me get used to seeing them and even holding some now, thanks for your content and I hope you keep doing what you do!
Plenty more to come! You’re doing great, so glad I could help!
Hello! I don't have arachnophobia, but I am fascinated by these little guys. I love watching you handle them. Great job with this channel and advocating for these tiny beings we share the world with.
Thank you! Glad to share all these amazing lil critters!
I just want you to know that your videos are absolutely making a difference. I walked out my front door today into a huge orb web with what I later realized was a gorgeous spider in the middle of it. I was less focused on the beauty when it was smack in the center of my face, but because of your videos, i was able to calm down, take a deep breath, and just wait for it to drop down. Thankfully it decided to simply drop a line from the tip of my nose and leave, which was itself a truly unique sensation
Thank you so much! So glad to hear it!
Honestly, I've never considered free handling spiders before because they freaked me out. I would actually go out of my way to kill these garden spiders down in south Louisiana. After watching this video, I feel bad for doing that but also kinda want to try to handle it and cure my fear. Your channel has really opened my eyes to the world of spiders and other insects. Thanks man❤️
Glad to be a part of your journey! No need to free handle them, they actually do prefer to be left alone. But if you can respect them as fellow life forms, that’s all I can ask!
If you want to start free handling, I'd suggest a jumping spider. Very curious and smart spiders.
They are absolutely gorgeous spiders, and one of my favorites! Mirror spiders and banana spiders are really pretty too.
What a sweet girl! She was so cooperative (as always, thanks in part to your careful handling).
Interestingly enough, this was one of the first spiders that really intrigued me, even back when I was arachnophobic! That zig-zag pattern of silk in their webs was so cool to me, along with those bright colors. Great video!
Argiopes are so ubiquitous in North America that I think a lot of people have histories with them. I grew up calling them banana spiders! Always found them in the gardens, and was always afraid to get too close. But something about their intricate webs certainly was captivating even when I was afraid too
@MyWildBackyard It's cool that you're able to handle them so easily now, given your old fears. And yeah, they definitely leave an impression on people. I was amazed that a spider/web like that was just hanging out in my neighborhood creek, and dared to get within 3 feet of the web to take a low res picture on my phone 😅
Your passion for nature is refreshing to watch, and I truly appreciate the work you put into making these incredible animals more accessible to those of us who fear them. I find spiders fascinating, but I haven't been able to get over my mental block of interacting with them in any way. When one touches me, my brain instantly switches to a fear response. But I find their lives and contributions to the ecosystem fascinating. Maybe one day I'll have your courage and determinism to power through this fear. For now, I am enjoying your coverage and look forward to exploring your channel!
The other day at work there was a wolf spider than decided to run straight across the floor in front of two of my department managers, who are both arachnophobes. They both freaked out and started silent screaming while backing into the corner of the desk. My coworker was about to stomp on it but I put my hand down in front of the spider, stole it up onto my wrist, and walked out the side door to let it crawl onto a outside railing. The looks I got when I came back in and the "You're f**ing crazy" I got from my department manager is something I won't be forgetting for a while. Thanks Spencer for these videos! Keep up the good work :)
Heck yeah! I loved being the "You're f***ing crazy" guy!
Growing up, I LOVED these spiders. They helped foster my curiosity for all insects. Great video.
Spiders aren't insects. They're arachnids, which is something different.
We had one of these in our school garden for weeks, and the kids got used to seeing it every day. It was a great way to talk about how cool it looked and how important it was for our garden. Then one day we had a hurricane come through and it was gone. :( We were sad but I'm glad the children were able to become accustomed to seeing it.
We really enjoyed learning about your experience from arachnophobia to being what we would certainly consider a spider expert! Phenomenal education of everyday species and why we should care. Keep it up, Spencer! Once again, congrats on 100k!
Also great call to action! Instant like 👍
Been a crazy ride! And glad you noticed that lil mid-roll CTA! Highly recommend testing stuff like that on your channel as well!
I love wolfspiders, orb weaver, and jumping spiders. You've shown me a new world that you shouldn't fear these spiders. I love your videos and I love that I no longer am afraid of them. Thank you.
Another fantastic installment in the curing your arachnophobia series, Argiopes are easily among my favorite North American spiders and they are a really great pick to introduce to someone who is afraid of them. They’re so docile, and the individual you were working with displayed that well. I liked the personal note that you added to this video, hearing more of your story and seeing the progression into the biologist you are now is always inspiring for me. Great work man!
Knew I had to make a special installment for the Argiope. Not kidding when I say my fear melted away after handling one of these, and it was actually watching Chris’s video handling one that I decided to give it a try!
Love your videos, watching you handle these creatures so calmly has inspired me to take the next step in pushing past my own arachnophobia (first step was admiring from a distance for years, second step was educating myself with videos like yours). I will be attempting to free handle my first argiope this summer when they show up in my garden!
I counted 4 of these beautiful spiders in my garden this year. They still make me a little squeamish, but watching you handle them is phenomenal. While walking over to my garden , a grasshopper jumped away from me and right into a garden spider web. That was the most brutal attack I have ever seen a spider do! That spider was on him like flies to honey.. it was crazy! I like to keep my distance after seeing that.. hahaha.
The most important part with interacting with them (aside from don't do it unless you have a good reason) is knowing how to read their disposition, much like how you know not to pet a dog when it's agitated and growling. If they feel safe, they're generally not aggressive animals.
Out beyond the edge, looking at the world past fear and with love. Thank you for sharing your own joy and journey.
What a majestic animal! Here in Colorado we have some very interesting orb waivers. Also, through your videos, you have completely inspired a six year old girl into the world of arachnids. Thought you should know.
Yup! I’m an arachnophobia. I wrote about it when you were hunting that purple tarantula. I’ve been watching videos like this for years in an attempt to relieve my fear. I’ve gone from fainting at the sight of an arachnid (even at a picture), to being able to admire them at a safe distance. Thank you and all of the other creators who do a wonderful job of showcasing the beauty of these creatures. Y’all have a blessed day!
Thank you so much! You've come a long way, great job.
Glad you can admire these beautiful creatures!
My first time seeing one, the size and coloration freaked me out! But now a welcome guest in the yard, and I love feeding and interacting with them.
Thank you for doing a video on Garden Spiders. I love seeing them and their beautiful webs outside!
Always love orb weavers, and the garden spider is always one of the easiest to stumble across.
They’re just so cool and elegant looking and their webs have such a fascinating design to them.
Neat video Spencer, I was just filming one of these big girls the other day and it reminded me of how great garden spiders are as an introduction to handling wild spiders (and arthropods in general). I like how you described the experience of handling one and how this species relates to your overall wildlife journey!
Thanks man! I just saw the thumbnail for your VS video, I gotta check it out real soon! Love all these orb weavers!
Yes, your videos help.
Even though my own arachnophobia got smaller year by year, your videos help, at least for me, accellerate that process.
I want to try to handle the domestic spiders here, but they are extremly flimsy and quick to catch, so I don't even try to handle them on my hand, but the thought of handling a spider on my hand was a thought I never even considered back when I was a kid.
And your videos did and do a great job with that.
You’re doing great. Gotta give yourself credit too, you’re confronting your fear head on! Proud of ya.
@@MyWildBackyard Thank you. Also your Tarantula Videos and your depiction as gentle giants were a great influence on looking at these animals in a complete and different way. I would consider handling one of these gentle giants now on my arm or hand, if someone would ask me to.
I've always seen spiders as akin to feral cats. They live outside, doin their own thing, catchin prey, etc, and when they perceive a threat, they'd always prefer to run rather than fight. I mean, wouldn't you if you were caught by something 10,000 times your size? :p
But as @MyWildBackyard said, good for you, seriously. Confronting a deeply held fear like that takes a lot of nerve. I had trypanophobia for a long time (fear of needles) and had to overcome it a couple years back due to me needing to get a *lot* of blood draws. Now I don't have any fear of em at all! Hope you can get there. c:
Their size reinforces my arachnophobia, but I still like seeing them around the yard.
These spiders have been my favorites for over 30 years! I can’t tell you how many I have handled over the years. Certainly hundreds! I have many videos on my channel of me feeding and holding both black & yellow and banded garden spiders. ❤
I only clicked on this because it said, "...cure your fear...". For some reason I have never been scared of this spider. It's the first time seeing one and she is so fascinating to watch. Thanks for the video!!!
I don't know if I could ever go and pick one of these guys up. Beautiful, but stumbling upon one of them is always a surprise like "Hello! There you are!" That was one difficult thing to get used to, finding out that spooders leave safety lines. Any time I handle my jumpers, I'm thinking, "Well, thank you for wrapping me up in nature's sugar-free version of cotton candy." These guys are very pretty ♥ I always think of them spraying silly string, lol.
I've got to give you credit for single handedly helping me get over my arachnophobia. In a matter of a few months of watching your channel I've gone from acting like a little girl around spiders to going out of my way to interact with them.
Keep up the good work and quality content.
Thank you for your calming message. I was unsure if the Yellow Garden Spider was a danger to me or my pets. BTW: I notice the spider "holds onto its web and shakes" to warn me to stay away from it.
Yep. And it's mostly just asking you not to make it rebuild its web. As you can see it's not particularly threatened by a person's presence unless they go out of their way to make themselves a threat. It knows you can stumble into its web like anything else, but it wasn't rated for catching godzilla so kindly notice it's there and go away please lol.
The oscillation on the web is also a defensive maneuver that may keep birds and other such predators so confused as to the spider's actual location that they can't strike at it. Amazing sight to see, in any case. I had a particularly large one on my back porch a few years ago.. She and her web were so stout that she could do waves of nearly 9 inches from one end to the other. No bird would have stood a chance of catching that one!
@@samuelmorgan1295 nope I kill the bastards they are creepy and I hate that they build their web right in front of my door
Please consider going to Volusia County in Daytona Beach, FL. I was there in college back in 1988-1990 and saw a number of large Garden Spiders of this type, much larger than I've seen online in any videos from any source. The largest I saw was the size of my hand (I'm 6'3 barefoot and have Catcher's mitt hands, so roughly a 10 inch leg span). It was in a center of web that was about 22 feet in length. Fascinated and in disbelief, I walked up to it and it was about 2 feet about my head. Scared the shit out of me.
It was at the corner of Nova Road and Bellevue Ave. There's a thick grouping of forest that extends toward S Clyde Morris Blvd that had a large number of these spiders. I saw them when I would walk or bike from school to my off-campus housing room. I've always wondered if they are still breeding in that area and if they're still that large.
Please go and investigate, if you can. If so, that would be a great video.
Wow man that’s cool, I never was very scared of spiders but my mom was . This is one of the first spiders I handled also. Mainly because I walked through her web and had to get her off my shoulder lol. While we’re on the subject of big orb weavers, my golden silk weavers have started making egg cases and I now am up to 14 ! I need to share some of anyone is interested. Leave a reply and I’ll get up with ya 😊
You do a great job with these videos! You make it hard not to watch another one
My brain just started screaming "ORB WEAVER ORB WEAVER" on loop the moment I mentally processed the thumbnail. They're my second favorite spider after huntsman spiders. Huntsman spiders are my favorite because they don't make webs and they're helpfully everywhere in Japan (I plan on moving to Japan). Webs are annoying when indoors.
Love orb weavers! Glad to be able to share them with ya!
Nice job putting the word out there! Another awesome video! Already can't wait for the next one! 💯
Next one is gonna be big. One of my favorites I’ve ever made!
Man! And here I was so proud of myself for picking up the small jumping spider in the back yard last week.
If we had those here in California, nobody would go outside. Ha ha!
In all seriousness, your channel really has eliminated my family's arachnophobia.
Not to scare you or anything, but we do have garden spiders like this in California. I think they're technically a different species (green garden spiders) and tend to be a bit smaller, but are otherwise similar. I found a bunch out near a landfill in the Bay Area, and have seen them in fields in northern cali as well! I don't think they are as prolific as yellow garden spiders can be in other states, but if you're determined you can find them!
These spiders are so neat!!!!
I’m so glad to hear it man! It does take time, but it really is worth it. And it means a lot to read all the comments and see how people are beating their fears. Thanks for being a part of the whole journey here! Stay tuned for an email, once I finish some of the projects this week I’m gonna be getting ready to send out the shirts!
We definitely do have these exact same ones in California. I never saw them my whole life until recently a new housing community was built on the outskirts of town in the fields and this is in the Sacramento Area. Weird
Always get excited when I come across one of these guys because I don’t see them super often, but they’re so pretty and spin the most beautiful webs, so it’s always a treat to find one.
One summer probably 15 years ago, one spun a web from the edge of the bottom of the deck to the deck to the grass, and lived there all summer long. I said hi to it every time I walked past as if it were a pet, and spent a long of time watching it.
They’re just so cool.
Great video! They are Beautiful spiders! 😊👍
Love it! As a young kid (about 11 or 12), I used to catch these in baby food jars. The ones I caught had huge, bulbous abdomens though. Never saw any with the "thin" abdomen. Awesome video! Brought back a lot of memories.
She's a beautiful specimen!! Have a great weekend Spencer!!
You too!
What I found so intriguing about this video is that I used the same spider to help me with my acrachniphobia as well. Now I will admit I still don't want to be around spiders willingly, but I no longer freeze, scream, break out in cold sweets, and hyperventilate around them like I used to. But my fear came from a very unique and rare experience, as I was bitten by a very large tarantula at a very young age, in Texas. But, I will admit that this spider has to be one of the most beautiful spiders ever.
I'm so glad this video made it into my recs today. When I saw "spider will cure arachnophobia" I immediately assumed it was another jumping spider video. Boy was I in for a shock! But I'm so glad I stuck around to hear you talk about the garden spider, because it helped me see them as less frightening. Very happy to have stumbled on this video, insta subscribed.
Glad to have you! Jumping spiders are a great place to start if you're working on your fear, but these guys and wolf spiders, once I worked up the nerve to get close to them, basically put the fear to rest forever.
Probably 1 of the coolest looking spiders ever.
Hi I'm a new subscriber and I been watching your video's. I used to be scared of spiders but your video's changed the way I look at spiders. I now look at them with curiosity then fear. In fact im thinking about getting a tarantula as a pet. Thank you so much my wild back yard😂
This spider is the reason I found your RUclips channel! My family and I moved to North Carolina 2 years ago from the west coast and I’m still getting used to all of the creatures out here. Thank you for making these amazing videos! They somehow look cute when you call them names like sweetheart, buddy and little lady. Lol
Heck yeah, love it! Great content! Spiders are just animals like you and me and they don't deserve all the hate they get. They deserve respect like every other creature does. Without them, think of how many more flies and mosquitoes would be annoying us and biting us all the time!
Thanks to your video, I went out to the forest around my North Carolina home, found a large orb weaver (banana spider in this case) and let her crawl around on my hand. I was not afraid of her thanks to you. It was an amazing experience.
I like the psychology aspects of your videos. Also great camera work
Dude, your channel and Jack's channel along with BW really helped me in this way as well.
Thanks for ALL you guys do.
Glad to do it! Jack and Coyote are awesome.
I always love finding these and Banded Argiope in my garden. The first spider I free handed was a Shamrock Orbweaver. Thing was a unit. Great video.
Just found your channel and wanted to share a story. Never really had arachnophobia and we let our house and cellar spiders do their thing. But a few years ago we had a yellow garden spider build a web across our front door. So of course, we posted signs directing visitors to another door and let her be for the whole summer. Make sure her egg case stayed safe over winter, and watched the babies hatch the next spring. I wish we had more of them!
Thanks for sharing! I bet she appreciated that
Thank you for greating great content without resorting to dramatization or fear mongering. 👍
I See The Yellow Garden Spider In My Front & BackYard And Wondered🤔What Kind Of Spider It Was But Never Knew The Name Until Now. I Won't Be "Playing" With It Anytime Soon. Thanks For Posting🙂
This will always be my favorite spider. The garden spider was one of the best spiders you could possibly have.🥰🙏🕷️🕸️💖🌺
I had one of these Garden Spiders living in my outdoor pepper patch in TX and we became 'friends' over a Summer a few years ago. One day after a very windy storm I went out to check my garden for damage and couldn't find her. Later while cleaning the pool I found her floating and dead, probably blown there by a wind gust. It was a sad thing but I was grateful to have had a relationship with this interesting creature and share my home with her for a while.
Ty for showcasing this lil girl. She's really a very pretty spidey, one that I would never get to see otherwise.
used to love watching these guys when i was a kid, had a nice big one living next to my front porch two summers ago.
Not sure how I missed this video. Good thing my phone spied on what I was researching and suggested it. 😂
Thanks for the adventure, Master Spencer.
Really iconic spider. Used to find those in webs built across ditches a lot when I was a kid. Loved how they would shake their web.
I’m pretty certain that the spider I rescued from inside the local grocery store today was a male Banded Garden Spider(Argiope trifasciata). A very similar but smaller species.
Agriope aurantia Are my favorite and how I got over my arachnophobia too! So much so that I now have tarantulas I love dearly! Thank you for showing their beauty, they are a gentle giant who deserve a lot of love and recognition! 💚
I keep bees in my back-yard, so these spiders are always around. One interesting thing about this spider is
that she will shake herself in the web when approached, like a "Danger! Danger!" sign. Incredible creatures,
beautiful to see, but I still wouldn't handle one. I don't really have the Desire to handle a spider.
Orb Weavers in general are super cool. Thanks for the idea of starting with one. I can't handle jumping spiders because the sudden movements freak me out.
You’re braver than me bro. Even watching this is genuinely anxiety inducing for me. Just seeing the movements. I am trying so hard to cure my arachnophobia, but it’s hard.
I miss Ziggy my orb weaver. It was amazing watching her a couple summers back. She even devoured a cicada. When she died, I allowed my sister to take her egg sack to her house. The following year we got to watch one of her children repeat the cycle. I've never been a spider fan, but it gave me a greater respect for spiders.
I'm terrified of spiders. Have tried to overcome the fear over the last few years. Am only at the stage of poking a web. Thanks for giving me the confidence to keep working on it!
I always enjoy watching the cautious little tapity- tap movements orb weavers do with their legs when exploring a hand or unfamiliar surface. Since they have poor vision and rely on their web to be their eyes, the spindly legs remind me of blind mobility canes tapping around.
there's some of those in my mother's backyard, this video surely encouraged me to try and get close to them next time i go there!! love these spiders they look so gorgeous
Big up Spencer from the UK. Keep up the great content bro 😁
Argiope is my favourite spider genus, finding Argiope bruennichi a few days ago in habitat that I've created was so amazing. Great to see you hit 100K subs, well deserved!
Hey! Good to see you again! Hope you're doing well! So far I've only seen 3 species of Argiope- aurantia, florida and one I couldn't identify in Ecuador that we're pretty sure was an Argiope. So many cool ones around the world though, and such gorgeous arachnids
Another beautiful video buddy much appreciate you for this 💚
I grew up all my youth between my granddad’s large farm in western Pennsylvania, my auntie’s farm near Beaminster Dorset, U.K. and another auntie’s small farm just north of Oslo Norway. I was exposed to so many insects, snakes, etc. and bitten or stung by everything which can fly, swim, crawl or hop that I early on lost all fear of spiders, snakes and on and on. Cautious around the more dangerous ones? Obviously. These tiny creatures of the earth are fascinating and beautiful to me though some are better seen from a respectful distance. Each has its place and right to its life in the universe. None are evil the way humans can be. Good for you for working through your fears!
Between your videos and Lucas, I have gone from being deathly afraid of spiders to now studying and sometimes handling them (to relocate from the house) and they are like little puppies.
I love yellow garden spiders! They are so helpful at catching nuisance bugs like grasshoppers. Plus their colors are really pretty.
I found two this year. They are so beautiful! Also, their abdomen design looks like an alien with his hands on his waist. My buddy Bob TheSpiderHunter got me over my fears of handling spiders with shamrocks. Thanks for sharing about these beauties, Spencer!
My friends when I was little. Loved playing with them.
Bright colors also indicate any toxicity, so either from a bite, or sting, but also from consumption. She's saying "I have venom." but she's also saying "Don't eat me."
I grew up in NC and we had doors to our deck that we rarely used. Each of them would always have an orb weaver. Im still scared kf spiders, but orb weavers have a special place in my heart.
You should do a video on Joro spiders, which folks here in Georgia can't stop freaking out about, and could use a fresh perspective on. Even though they still make me nervous, I love spiders, and have spent years controlling my fear of them, thanks for the fun videos, nice to see someone who appreciates these animals instead of spreading more unnecessary fear.
A little fun fact: the best explanation science has to explain the common fear of spiders and snakes, is because the human brain learns by searching for patterns, and because these creatures don't move in an easily recognizable pattern, this causes us to have anxiety about them. I think this is why most people get used to tarantulas before spiders, as their size and slow movements make it easier to recognize a pattern. Something I discovered during my undergraduate thesis.
Workin on getting to Georgia for Joros! Been a big target for a while. And you know, that’s actually really fascinating. I’d love to talk about that in a future video! Can you link me some of the research so I can cite it?
@@MyWildBackyard I will have to dig out my old research and see if I can find it. I was researching how designed spaces affect human emotions (architecture thesis), so It wasn't something I was citing in my own work, but something I stumbled upon and never forgot. I will make sure to report back to you if I find it!
These are one of my favorite spiders, if not my favorite. I live in South Carolina and they are everywhere. Harmless and super impressive
Love your videos! Super educational! You’re so brave!
Thank you!
Thanks for the presentation. I guess it depends where you grew up. I knew someone from Midland Texas who used to play with tarantulas as a kid.
I love these little guys. We've had at least one take up residence on our porches every year for the past 22 years. Such a beautiful species.
I found one of these for the first time last year. Loved waking up daily with my little kid to go see the big yellow spider outside hahaha
that noise you made talking about your first reaction made me laugh out loud because that's exactly how I feel 😂 I've been watching your videos even though spiders scare the living hell out of me 😭
Yep. Took me a while to get comfortable, but it was well worth it. Push past fear and the world becomes a very rich and fascinating place!
I live in NC and yes we have them everywhere. I love how when threatened they bounce their webs.
I have arachnophobia. The only reason why i stumbled into this video was because i saw a picture of this spider, and I was surprised that i didn't have the reaction i have with other spiders. These actually look so cool
i still get chills when i see them in my garden, they are massive.
Animals are amazing teachers! A dog taught me not to be afraid of them, cats taught me not to be afraid of them and have been a cat owner almost 50 years, and a spider taught me not to be afraid. Used to be scared of carpenter ants because one bit me as a child. But now I realize you leave them alone they’ll go on about their business. I don’t encounter too many live crabs so I still am a little scared of them. Never met a goat but their eyes scare me. But I’ve seen how friendly they are online so I can somewhat ignore their crazy eyes.
My and son I just adopted one outside our window! We love feeding it. As an arachnophobe, I approve 😊